The Empire Strikes Back was released on home video, LaserDisc, and CED in November 1984. CED stands for Capacitance Electronic Disc (catchy, no?), basically a phonograph that played back audio and video. The format was discontinued in 1986, having lost RCA a reported $600 million.
Star Wars was released on video, for rental only, in 1982, although you could pay a small fortune for a “lifetime rental.” Some sources say the movie was released for true purchase later in ’82; other sources say 1984. The brochure leads me to believe it had been available before 1984, but possibly discontinued after a certain period of time.
The Empire tape cost $79.98 upon release and sold a record 400,000 copies. Rambo beat it in 1986, selling 425,000 copies at the same price.
(Images via Star Wars Seller/eBay)
2 Warps to Neptune 
I remember just about all videotapes hovering at around that price back in the day; thank goodness for VCRs, blank tapes & “Free HBO Weekends” back in the day!
Lifetime rentals? I remember the price tags on VHS tapes at all the video rental stores being over a hundred dollars for quite a while. That probably explains it.
I still have the VHS Star Wars and Empire that my Dad bought through some membership club at a local home electronics store (Leiser Sound, I think). I remember renting Golgo 13 for the NES when we picked up Empire. Great times.
That was the real big advantage being a CED format owner. To actually own Star Wars on video in ’82 without obtaining a small loan…